FOUR SHIPS DELAYED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21698, 13 January 1934, Page 12

FOUR SHIPS DELAYED

WATERFRONT DISPUTES MEN REFUSE TO WORK TROUBLE AT WELLINGTON [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION*] WELLINGTON, Friday Two hold-ups by Wellington waterside workers to-day were responsible for delaying four ships, two of them big overseas vessels. Yesterday tho men refused to discharge coal from tho collier Karcpo and put bunker coal into tho cable stoamor Recorder. Again this morning they rofused to accopt work on these two vessels, but later agreed to work ponding a settlement of tho disputo by the local disputes committee. The other dispute in which the Union Company's chartered steamer Narbada from Calcutta and the com-

pany's motor-ship Hauraki from Los Angeles were involved arose this morning. Waterside workers were engaged to start work at 8 o'clock on board tho vessels preparing to work the cargo. Further gangs to handle tho cargo on the wharf and in tho sheds

were engaged to start at 8.30. In each case tho men demanded to bo paid as from 8 o'clock. This was refused by the company and tho men refused to start work.

Roth disputes were considered by the local disputes committee, but no definite agreement was reached.

1 n both cases the action of the men was contrary to tho terms of the agreement in operation between the shipowners and Waterside Workers' Federation. In the case of the Karepo and Recordor the renson for refusal to work was that the men considered some were getting more work than others. At present an endeavour is being made by some men to introduce a rationing system in Wellington, whereby each worker is limited in his hours of work each week.